In Piaget's theory, which stage is a 17-month-old currently in?

In Piaget's theory, which stage is a 17-month-old currently in?

• A. Primary circular reactions
• B. Secondary circular reactions
• C. Early operational stage
• D. Tertiary circular reactions

Answer: (D)

This item taps into Piaget’s sensorimotor sub-stages, focusing on tertiary circular reactions. Around 12 to 18 months, infants become “little scientists,” exploring objects through trial and error to learn about their properties. They deliberately vary actions to see different effects—shaking, dropping, squeezing, banging, or manipulating objects in new ways—rather than just repeating a reaction for immediate self-stimulation or to elicit a familiar external response. This age, 17 months, fits right in this exploratory phase, which is why the description best matches tertiary circular reactions. Earlier sub-stages involve repeating actions centered on the body (primary circular) or repeating actions to trigger responses in the external environment without much variation (secondary circular). The alternative “early operational stage” isn’t part of Piaget’s sensorimotor sequence, and the stage that follows sensorimotor is the representational/preoperational period that starts later, around age 2.

This item taps into Piaget’s sensorimotor sub-stages, focusing on tertiary circular reactions. Around 12 to 18 months, infants become “little scientists,” exploring objects through trial and error to learn about their properties. They deliberately vary actions to see different effects—shaking, dropping, squeezing, banging, or manipulating objects in new ways—rather than just repeating a reaction for immediate self-stimulation or to elicit a familiar external response. This age, 17 months, fits right in this exploratory phase, which is why the description best matches tertiary circular reactions.

Earlier sub-stages involve repeating actions centered on the body (primary circular) or repeating actions to trigger responses in the external environment without much variation (secondary circular). The alternative “early operational stage” isn’t part of Piaget’s sensorimotor sequence, and the stage that follows sensorimotor is the representational/preoperational period that starts later, around age 2.